


22nd of April 2018

by smittenwithsugden



Series: Haley's Headcanons [2]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Birthday Fluff, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-22
Updated: 2017-04-22
Packaged: 2018-10-22 14:32:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10698975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smittenwithsugden/pseuds/smittenwithsugden
Summary: Robert's birthday and Aaron gets him a gift that brings back old memories.





	22nd of April 2018

**Author's Note:**

> This is his birthday next year, because I needed them to be at home for this.
> 
> Based on two headcanons by my wonderful friend Haley.
> 
> Thanks a million to Matty for her brilliant beta work.

They’d been living in the Mill for a while now and there were still boxes packed away in the spare room. It was basically stuff that had just been sitting in storage before the move anyway, old school reports, some pictures, memorabilia from their childhood, things like that.

It was late February when Liv and Robert had conspired together on what to do with this spare room. Liv had even drawn a detailed floor-plan, where the room would be divided, one part, the one with the big window, would be Liv’s art section with all her colors and canvasses, where her easel would stand. The other part would be a study - Aaron had complained time and time again about Robert doing all his work on the kitchen table.

The thought of Robert and Liv figuring this out together left Aaron with a warm feeling. He knew that they’d gotten closer last year, whilst he was inside, but it was still a marvel to see, ever since Liv had come back from taking care of her mum it seemed like their bond only had become stronger and stronger.

So now, in early March, Aaron was sitting in this room, going through all this stuff that had been collected over the years, in order to decide what to throw away and what to keep. The current box clearly belonged to Robert. He found old report cards – good in languages, bad in sport – no surprises there. But nestled amongst the papers was a small jewellery box, that didn’t look much like it was in Robert’s taste, so he picked it up, intrigued. Opening it up, the heavily ornate, mother-of-pearl lid and silvered clasp reflected the warm light. He saw an old necklace atop papers and pictures. His first thought was that it must have been connected to one of his exes, he really hoped it wasn't Katie’s. But when he grabbed the first picture he knew it wasn’t; it was a box about his mum.

He looked at a picture of Sarah, standing next to a big turkey, looking tired but proud, and then a picture of her together with Robert. She was sitting on a rocking chair, he was sitting on her lap. Aaron studied the face of his husband in the picture, so young, love exuded from the scene, but what really struck Aaron was how carefree he looked. He didn’t think he had ever seen this look on Robert’s face, even when he was happy, when they were relaxed together, the ghost of hardship and worry always just below the surface.

Aaron decided to keep the box close, took it into their bedroom and put it in one of his drawers.

  

A couple of weeks later Aaron walked into in the living room, Liv was rearranging some of the framed photographs. She put the one of Aaron and Robert on their wedding day above the sofa and the one of the three of them together on the opposite side of the wall.

She took a step back and looked around, at all the pictures that were scattered around.

“Are you redecorating?” Aaron asked with a smile as he walked through to the kitchen to put the kettle on.

Liv followed him and leaned against the wall, looking at him. “How come we have so many pictures of Dingles?”

“What do you mean? They’re family,” Aaron said as he grabbed two cups from the cupboard.

“I mean, we have one picture of you when you were younger, one picture of you and me, a picture of Chas and Charity, a picture of you and Cain and Debbie and Robert, a picture of you and Paddy, a picture of me and mum, a picture of Marlon and April and you, of you and Leo, of Lisa and….”

“Okay, okay, I get it, what’s your point?” Aaron asked.

“But only one picture of Robert, Diane and Vic from your wedding day and that’s it,” Liv said. “What about his side of the family? Andy? Or his parents? Or, I don’t know, somebody?”

“Somebody?” Aaron mocked, but he was already feeling bad. 

“Yeah, you know, ex-wives, ex-girlfriends,” Liv said with a smirk, “but we might not have enough wall space.”

“Oi you, watch it,” Aaron said, but had to grin at her cheekiness.

Liv grabbed her cup of tea and hopped on one of the kitchen counters, opposite the one Aaron was leaning against.

“You know, I really like it that you two got so close,” Aaron said.

“He’s family, isn’t he?” Liv said, shrugging like it was obvious. “Oh and by the way, I will get him the new season of ‘Once Upon A Time’ for his birthday, so don’t you get that for him.”

“Like I ever would, all he does is drool all over Captain Hook and Emma Swan,” Aaron said and shook his head in amusement.

“Can’t really blame him though, they are both scarily his type,” Liv said and took a sip of her tea.

“Whatever,” Aaron said and made a face.

“Ha, jealous is not a nice look on you,” Liv grinned.

When Aaron pretended to throw a towel at her she hopped off the counter.

“All right, I am off,” Liv said. “Text me when dinner is ready.”

“Will do,” Aaron said.

Liv was off to see Gabby and Aaron walked up the stairs to their bedroom. He put his cup of tea down on his bedside table and thought about what Liv had said, about how the whole house was full of pictures of the Dingles. He opened his drawer and got the little box out, opened it and spread its contents out on the bed.

He went through everything: about a dozen pictures, a necklace and a little box with a bracelet, an old letter from Sarah to Robert, and then there was a piece of paper. Aaron picked it up and when he saw what it was he got an idea. He thought about what Liv had said and he grabbed the piece of paper and a picture. He put the rest of it carefully back in the box and put it back in the drawer.

On his way out of the house he dialed Vic’s number.

“Hey Vic? Do you have some time right now? I could use your help with something,” Aaron said as he pulled the door shut behind him.

 

It was Robert’s 32nd birthday and he didn’t really expect anything. He knew Aaron was not big on celebrating birthdays and the morning of his birthday proved him right. Aaron had woken him up with a nice kiss and a mumbled “happy birthday” and that had been it. They both had gone on about their usual day, having breakfast with Liv and then heading off to work. 

But around lunch time Robert got a text from Aaron.

“Hey, you think you can come home early today? Maybe around 4?”

“I’ll see what I can do, why?” he texted back.

“You’ll see,” was the mysterious response and Robert left it at that.

When he got in a little bit after four the first thing he noticed was the smell. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but it was like a smell from a long time ago, something familiar and comforting , but he didn’t know why.

“Aaron?” he called out.

“In here,” he replied and Robert walked through to the dining room.

He saw the table set with their nice plates, some flowers in the middle and a big apple pie with a candle stuck in the middle of it.

“You shouldn’t have,” Robert said with a smile.

“Ah, but I wanted to,” Aaron said and pulled him closer, giving him a small kiss. “Happy birthday.”

Aaron seemed nervous, and Robert didn’t know why.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, yeah, sure,” Aaron said. “Sit down, let’s have some pie. You want coffee or tea?”

“You have both?” Robert asked surprised.

“Sure,” Aaron said. “Anything you want for your birthday.”

“Really?” Robert asked and wriggled his eyebrows.

Aaron laughed. “Later.”

“Okay, then, coffee please.”

Aaron poured them both some coffee and then gestured to the pie.

“You have to blow out the candle and make a wish,” he said.

Robert grinned, closed his eyes, wished for always having Aaron in his life and blew out the candle.

Aaron clapped his hands and shot him the biggest smile.

“Okay,” he said and put a piece of pie on his plate. “Now before you eat it, you have to know that I baked it. I mean Vic gave me a few tips, I am not sure if it has turned out how it was supposed to.”

“I’m sure it’ll be great,” Robert said and took the first bite. He swallowed and stopped and looked at Aaron, who was clearly nervous.

“Do you like it?” he asked.

“Is that…” Robert started, but took another bite to be sure. “…my mothers’ recipe? But how… I mean…”

All of a sudden Aaron wasn’t sure that this had been a good idea and he considered binning his other gift that was hidden behind him.

“Uhm, yeah,” Aaron said. “When I emptied out the boxes in the spare room I found that box of yours with stuff from your mum, and the recipe was there. I’m sorry if I overstepped, I just thought, maybe it would be nice to have something of hers on your birthday and I…. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

“Aaron,” Robert said and his face split into a huge smile. “It’s perfect. Thank you so much.”

“I know we don’t talk a lot about her, and most of our family traditions are Dingle traditions and I know that is my fault, too,” Aaron said.

“It’s fine,” Robert said.

“No, it’s not,” Aaron said. “I got you a present, one Liv made me think of actually. And I have to say I feel bad that it never occurred to me, but to her it did. She really is quite perceptive, probably much more than we give her credit for.”

“Uhm, okay,” Robert said, taking another fork full of the pie. “Should I be worried?”

“Hope not,” Aaron said and reached behind him to grab the rather large but thin parcel, wrapped in white tissue paper and handed it over to Robert. “If you don’t like it we don’t have to do anything with it.”

Robert took the gift and he could already tell that it was probably something framed.

He unwrapped it and when he saw what it was his eyes immediately teared up. He swallowed hard and had to clench his jaw.

It was a painting, a painting of his mum sitting in a rocking chair with Robert on her lap. He was five, maybe six in that picture.

“I found the picture of this in the box,” Aaron said carefully. “I took it to this painter in Hotten and he did this. He took some liberties with the colours, but we can still put the original picture up as well. You both look so happy, I thought we could hang it in the hallway maybe, or anywhere else, wherever you’d like. There were other pictures, too, maybe we can choose some more and have them framed. Have a few more Sugdens hanging around.”

Robert still hadn’t said anything, he just stared at the picture.

Aaron wanted to say more, wanted to reassure Robert that it was his decision, but he decided to keep quiet, to wait for Robert to say something.

After a while Robert carefully put the painting down on the table and got up to walk around the table to Aaron.

He leant down and gave him a soft kiss before he pulled Aaron up to hug him, arms around his waist, face snuggled in the crook of Aaron’s neck.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

Aaron kissed the top of his head.

“Happy birthday,” he whispered back.

Robert pulled back and looked at him for a second before he closed the gap and kissed him again, longer this time, deeper and more passionately.

“So you ready for your final present… upstairs?” Aaron asked with a smirk and after Robert nodded he took his hand and led him up the spiral staircase.


End file.
